Luke held onto that while he dug. He wasn’t ready to tell them he’d seen her in his dream. He had no idea what that meant.
Sofia went back to chanting and Neve began tossing rocks off the top. “Hey, watch it,” Diesel snapped as she flung more stones downward.
“You guys aren’t moving fast enough,” Neve retorted. “I think I can see something.” Neve had the vantage point from above. “Witch, shift more stones on the inside.”
Sofia grumbled, “I have a name, you know, and I’m doing the best I can. This is a tough spell. I need more space than we have here to displace all these rocks. I need everyone to step back from the pile.” They all stopped working in unison and moved backward at her command. Neve scampered down from the top to join them. “Once the rocks start flowing, I’ll have a hard time reining them back in if something goes wrong. This is a dangerous situation, as I can’t control the mountain above us. There is a chance another avalanche could happen. If I was an elemental, this would be a piece of cake, but I’m not.”
“It’s fine,” Luke answered quickly, waving her on. “Just do it. If you guys need to run if things get crazy, go. I’m staying here no matter what.”
“I’m not leaving her, either.” Raoul crossed his arms.
Luke glanced over and assessed the panther for the first time. “How did you find us?”
“I knew where the cabin was,” Raoul shrugged. “When I got there, these guys were making their way up.” He jacked his thumb at Diesel and Jake. “Then I followed Ginger’s scent to this place.”
Diesel cleared his throat and peered around the panther with a little sheepish look. “Jake and I decided to follow your scent instead, and kind of got lost. You were all over the place, man.” He blew out a breath before glancing at the ceiling. “So Raoul had to…circle back for us. Directions have never been my strong suit. I don’t care if I’m a wolf, when scents are everywhere it messes shit up.”
Sofia started a new chant, and rocks began to move by themselves.
Neve chuckled. “Yeah, it was quite a sight to see a hellhound and a wolf get lost in the woods, but my nose sucks, so I was no help. Sofia even tried a few spells, but they just took us to this one tree with all this green stuff on it. Raoul was our ace in the hole. He knew where the entrance was.” The dhampir glanced over at the panther and gave him an appraising look.
Jake growled, his hands sliding possessively over the dhampir’s shoulders. “We would’ve figured it out soon enough. You’re making us sound like nitwits. He just happened to be a step ahead.”
Rocks began to pour down the slope in earnest, as Sofia’s voice got louder. They began to pile up along the outside of the wall wherever they had space, like they’d been ordered to march there. It was amazing to witness.
“I’m sure you would’ve found us, but grateful you came when you did,” Luke said, his eyes pinned on the rubble. “Damien’s under there, too. After he spelled me, the bastard went after his sister. He said he was going to drain her, but I’m hoping she started this destruction before he had a chance.”
Sofia’s gaze snapped to his. “Damien was going to drain her power?”
Luke shrugged. “That’s what he said he was going to do.”
“That’s why I can’t sense her!” Sofia’s shoulders sagged in relief. “If she doesn’t have a power signature, she wouldn’t register for the spell I used. I hope we get to her in time. If anything happens to her, I will be devastated.” Her voice shook and Diesel went to her, wrapping his arms around her middle and pulling her close. He murmured something into her ear, and she nodded. Then she closed her eyes and leaned her head back against Diesel’s chest as she began to chant again, her words increasing in decibels as she went.
The entire mountain began to shake, including the ground.
They were all backed up against the opposite wall as far as they could go. The entire mound of rock began to vibrate like it was being hit with a tuning fork, and suddenly it shot apart. Rocks flew everywhere in a frenzy, but didn’t hit anyone.
All at once it was done.
The pile that was left over was barely knee-high.
Sofia bent at the waist, Diesel still holding onto her. “That’s all I can do,” she huffed, trying to catch her breath. “I can’t do anymore, or I risk hurting her with the rocks.”
Luke was already wading through the debris, kicking the smaller stones out of the away. He spotted Damien first. “The incubus asshole is right here,” he gestured to his left. Damien’s pant leg showed, but nothing else. Luke hoped he was dead. He was almost to the wall before he spotted Ginger.
Luke crouched down by the sleeve of her shirt and started to uncover her. His digging became frantic as he tossed the rocks left and right. Behind him, he heard Sofia’s labored breathing. Neve muttered something unintelligible.
Everyone held their breath, waiting.
Very gently, he lifted stones off her head. He didn’t inhale until he saw she was all in one piece. She was bloody and battered, but she hadn’t been crushed. “She’s unconscious!” he yelled. “But she’s in one piece.” He tossed more rocks out of the way and uncovered the rest of her. Once she was free, he bent over and captured her in his arms, picking her up and cradling her close. She was so small. Smaller than he remembered. And so fragile.
He tucked her into his chest and turned. “Sofia, please tell me you can fix her. We have to save her.”
The mist was so thick Ginger couldn’t see anything. Saying goodbye to Luke had been the most unbearable thing she’d ever done. Keeping him would’ve been wrong. She was beyond his help, anyway, so she had to let him go.
Now she just had to find a place to lie down. She was so tired.
The tree canopy had given way to a brilliant lake. The water was so beautiful, blue and perfect, not a ripple to be seen. The mountains across the lake looked as if they were reaching for the brightest spot in the sky. She’d spotted a small grassy area down by the banks before the mist had rolled in, and she made her way down there now, each step harder to take than the last.
Once she arrived, she lowered herself down and curled up on her side, closing her eyes. Not more than a second later, a voice sounded in her ear. “It’s not your time, you know.” Her mother’s voice was sharp. “You have to get up and go back.”
“Mom, I’m too tired to move,” Ginger mumbled. “Damien was right. I gave up a long time ago, and I’m weak. I wasn’t meant to live a long life. I accept it.”
“You’re wrong,” her mother insisted. “You were meant to live a long life, and you need to march right back where you came from and wait for him to come back. It’s not in your nature to give up. You know better than that.”
“You know nothing about my nature.” Ginger cracked an eyelid open. “I haven’t seen you in ten years, and before that you hardly noticed me. Even if I could go to him, I refuse to pull him into a life he will hate. Luke deserves happiness, and he won’t find it with me.”
“His only happiness depends on you.”
“How can you possibly know that?” Ginger was outraged. She struggled to sit up so she could tell her mother off in person. It took her a while, but when she was finally sitting, she searched the area and found no one in sight. “Just because you talk to me in my dreams,” she called, “doesn’t mean you can predict the future. I don’t need your help. Leave me alone.”
“He loves you.”
“Again, how can you possibly know that?”
“Because I am you.”
“What?” Ginger asked. “Stop being cryptic, Mom. I hate that.”
“I’m not being cryptic.”
“Yes, you are! That was cryptic right there. And I don’t need you. Do you hear me? Stay out of my life.” There was no answer. Ginger gazed out over the open water. The mist had begun to lift, but the lake was quiet, no breeze at all.
She lay back down, this time on her back, her eyes open.
Had it really been her mom, or had she just been talking
to herself? Had she invented a dream version of her mother to help ease the pain in her chest? She rubbed her forehead. She was just so tired. It was time to sleep.
She let her eyes slip shut again.
“Ginger! Ginger! Can you hear us?” It was Luke.
Ginger sighed. He needed to let go. He wouldn’t be happy with her.
Wasn’t that right?
He needed someone better, something he didn’t hate.
“You’re fooling yourself.” Her mother’s voice was back. “If you really want to live, he’s the only one who can help you now.” The voice held her mother’s cadence down to the very inflection she used. There was no question. Ginger had a hard time believing she could invent her mother so perfectly.
Just to be sure, she asked, “Is this you, Mom?”
“That’s up to you.”
“Arrgh! I’m not in the mood for games. This is serious.”
“I am being serious, and you need to go to Luke. He’s calling you.”
There was a commotion just over the hill. She turned her head to look, opening her eyes, but couldn’t see anything. Then she heard, “Ginger, come on! Wake up. You can do this! Don’t be scared. Just open your eyes, honey.” Sofia was there! She was just over the hill. She’d told her not to be scared.
Was Ginger afraid?
She might be a little afraid.
She lay back down. Confusion settled in around her and she closed her eyes again. Damien had been awful. He’d said such cruel things, but they weren’t true, were they? She didn’t know anymore. She was too exhausted to think about it. Her body was so cold. She shivered. The voices were still off in the distance. Now they were calling her name.
She should respond. She wanted to. She didn’t really want to die, did she?
“The decision to live is easy,” her mother’s voice whispered in her ear. “All you have to do is get up.”
Very slowly, she opened her eyes.
“There has to be more you can do,” Luke’s voice was full of anguish. “Please.” He held Ginger’s limp body in his arms. They were outside. Damien was out cold, lying in a heap on the ground, but the bastard was alive. The handcuffs Ginger had tried to use were now firmly around both wrists.
Luke felt like bashing his face in again.
“I’m so sorry, Luke,” Sofia whispered, her hand gripped his arm like a lifeline. “I gave her a healing spell. Her physical injuries are all mended. But what she really needs I can’t manufacture in a spell. Her body is completely depleted of all power. Any essence she receives has to be pure, especially in this case, because she’s so far gone. I’m not certain, but I don’t think she’s fed in at least six months.” Luke balked at the news. Ginger had told him she’d fed right before she’d come to Vegas. “Actually, I think the pain of the rock avalanche is the only thing that saved her. The pain gave her a spark of power, enough to protect herself from the crushing weight. But her body is empty now. Sex demons have to feed at least weekly, or eventually they die.”
“Weekly?” Luke shook his head and gazed down at Ginger. “She kept telling me she was fine.” He glanced up at Raoul, who stood off by himself. “When you saw her a few weeks ago, did you know she was this bad off?”
Raoul brought his head down once. “Yes. I tried to intervene, but she wouldn’t let me, so I left.”
“What?” Luke’s voice shook with anger. “I can’t believe you left her like that. You should’ve come to me and told me.”
“Why would I do that?” Raoul said, unfazed by Luke’s anger. “I owe you no allegiance, and we had only just met. Ginger is a vibrant woman, in charge of her own fate. If she wanted to feed, she would have. She had a willing host in you, yes?”
“Yes.” Luke tugged Ginger closer, hoping to infuse some of his warmth into her. “I was willing. I did give her some, much to her surprise. But clearly it wasn’t enough. She was lagging on the hike today. I should’ve tried to do more.” He remembered their kiss and closed his eyes.
“There is still time to help her.” Raoul’s voice was firm. “The cabin is no more than three miles from here. At a run, with her in your arms, you can make it in an hour. If she holds on until that time, you have a chance.”
“Dude, you gotta try,” Neve urged. “Go, go!”
Sofia and Diesel nodded. “We’ll take care of this jerk and bring him in,” Diesel said. “Get back to the casino when you can, we’ll fill Louie in.”
“We left our car at the bottom of the mountain,” Jake said. “But we can take a different route back.”
“I will stay here for the night,” Raoul said, inclining his head toward the cave entrance. “I want to investigate the system and see what I can find before your agency descends. If there is any good information, Ginger will need it for her defense.” He glanced at Luke, his eyes intense. “In the morning, I will come to the cabin to assist you with anything you might need.”
The meaning was left unspoken.
Either he would be there to help them get back to the agency, or he would be there to help Luke with Ginger’s body. Luke didn’t need any more than that. There was no way he was letting Ginger die.
The panther thought it would take an hour, but he’d get her back there in half that time.
Luke kicked the door of the cabin open with enough force to pop the latch. The fixed hinge held, but just barely. The door banged against the logs, slamming shut behind him as he walked with Ginger to the bed.
With one hand, he leaned over and snatched back the old plaid bedspread, and laid her gently on the sheets. He’d made some executive decisions as he ran with her, and one of them was not to worry about modesty. He’d never disrobed another without consent, but he was determined to get skin-on-skin as quickly as possible.
He peeled off his shirt and tossed it on the floor. His pants came next. He knew Ginger’s body was in distress, and he was willing to bet it would take what he was ready to give without much prodding.
And he was prepared to give whatever it took.
Ginger hadn’t made a sound the entire time back to the cabin. It’d taken him thirty-seven minutes, but only because some of the areas were tough to climb with her in his arms.
Seeing Ginger unresponsive on the bed brought everything to a crushing head, and he moved even faster. He was down to his boxers, and now it was time to get her undressed. Moving to the side of the bed, he leaned over and began to remove all her clothing. He went fast, but he was careful not to rip or tear anything. He left her bra and panties on.
She was perfection. Her skin was creamy and flawless, and her undergarments matched. They were both sky blue lace at the edges. He scrubbed a hand over his face as he gazed down at her. “Ginger, you’re going to have to forgive me for doing this. It’s a matter of life and death, and I don’t have another choice.” He cringed thinking about what she’d have to say about him being so bold, but it couldn’t be helped.
She’d have to understand, and if she didn’t, he’d make her understand.
He slid into bed beside her, pulling her tightly to him, covering her as best he could with his body. Arms, legs, back, and torso were all skin-on-skin.
Once she was tucked against him, her scent trickled into his nose. He almost cried out loud. The gardenia was barely detectable, and her heartbeat was so irregular it was a wonder she still had one. “Come on, Red,” he whispered into the top of her head. “You can do this—no, we can do this. Just let me in. Please, let me in.”
Now that they were finally together, he had no idea what to do, but as he began to relax, his body and mind opened up. His eyelids felt heavy, and he let them slide closed, just as they had before.
If this didn’t put them on the right track, all was lost.
Luke called out to her. She’d made it up the hill, but it had taken an eternity to get there, and when she finally arrived, she’d been alone. Her efforts had exhausted her, so she’d curled up under a tree and went to sleep.
“Ginger! I’m back! Let me in,
” Luke shouted.
She managed to lift her head, but it took all the effort she had left in the world. Her body wouldn’t move an inch. She tried to raise her arm, but it was unless. “I can’t,” she answered. “My body has shut down.”
He’d heard her, and began to run toward her. She’d never been happier to see anyone in her entire life. She sighed and laid her head back on the ground. He was coming for her. This is what she wanted. Her mother had been right. Damien had been wrong.
She wasn’t a quitter, and she wanted to live.
She’d endured her shitty life for too long to give up like this. Her whole life she’d shielded her feelings from the world, but it was time to let the world back in. Or she’d be no better than her brother, living a lie wrapped up in self-loathing.
Luke was almost to her, but he pulled up short. “Ginger, I can’t get through!” He pounded on a barrier she couldn’t see. “You have to let me in.”
She stared at him and blinked. “I don’t know how.”
He continued banging his fists against the barrier. “I’m not going to give up on you. I refuse to leave you here. Do you hear me? Drop the wall so I can help you.”
She flexed her mind, but nothing happened. “Mom!” she shouted frantically. “If it’s really you, help me! I don’t know how to let him in.”
“I can’t do it,” her mother responded sadly. “You have to break the barrier yourself.”
“How?” Ginger asked. “I don’t understand.”
“Ginger,” Luke coaxed. “Get up and walk toward me. Once you’re here, I’ve got you.”
Sin City Collectors Boxed Set: Aces Wild, Ante Up, All in Page 32
